Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Notes: Draft, Cauley-Stein, Ainge

May 17th, 2015 at 12:52pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Boston is “very open” to moving up in next month’s NBA draft, two league sources tell A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The sources did not indicate which player the Celtics were targeting, but Blakely notes there are growing signs that their target would be Willie Cauley-Stein. Boston’s defense improved over the course of the season, ranking 12th in the league in defensive efficiency by season’s end. However, the team lacked a true defensive presence in its interior. Cauley-Stein is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, rim protector in the draft, so the fit makes sense for a team looking to improve on its 40-win campaign and become a true contender. The 21-year-old is currently the sixth best prospect according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com pegs him as the eighth best prospect. The Celtics own the 16th and the 28th pick in this year’s first round, as well as several first-rounders in the upcoming years, as our Traded Future Draft Picks page indicates. Boston already has an influx of young talent on the roster, which gives the team the flexibility to consolidate picks in order to obtain more highly regarded players.

Here’s more from Boston:

President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge is receiving praise from around the league, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “I think in today’s day and age where the NBA finds itself, with as much cap space that’s available, with how coveted young players are in the new system, to be able to operate and accumulate that many draft choices and put that on top of a lot flexibility is not easy,” said Thunder GM Sam Presti. “That’s because it’s not an exclusive marketplace they’re operating in. They have to do it in ways that are being mirrored by their competitors.”
Suns GM Ryan McDonough spoke very highly of Ainge and the job that he has done, Bulpett writes in the same piece. “Usually teams do one or the other. You try to compete, and that involves getting rid of young players, maybe bringing in some more veteran players, trading draft picks for vets. Or you rebuild, and that means trading away veteran players, really only focusing on picks and young players. The challenge is to do both. I think the really good organizations can do it, but it’s tricky. I think when you’re with an organization like the Celtics or the Suns that have great history and tradition, it’s not really acceptable or certainly not desirable to bottom out. You don’t want to bottom out and hope for luck in the lottery. I admire the way the Celtics have done it,” McDonough said. “They’ve done a tremendous job. They’ve got all the future picks in the queue that are coming down the line. They have some good young players. Obviously they have excellent management and coaching. The fans will see over time how things will work out.”

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Celtics, Knicks

May 16th, 2015 at 8:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers‘ long rebuilding process could get a boost Tuesday night, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. With a little luck in the draft lottery, Philadelphia could acquire two new starters to go with Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid. The Sixers have a 17.2% chance to land the Lakers’ top-five protected selection and a 9% shot at the Heat’s top-10 protected pick. Philadelphia’s own pick is currently slotted at number three and is guaranteed to fall in the top six.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers interviewed Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant about the possibility of playing with his older brother, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Jerami Grant just completed his rookie season in Philadelphia and is under the team’s control through 2017/18.
Arkansas forward Michael Qualls will have a pre-draft workout for the Sixers on Tuesday, Pompey tweets. Connecticut’s Ryan Boatright will work out for the team on the same day, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Rakeem Christmas of Syracuse will work out for the Celtics later this month, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
The Knicks are among 14 teams to meet with Kentucky’s Trey Lyles, Zagoria tweets. Also, Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky met with team president Phil Jackson this week, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post. Kaminsky quipped that even though he is only 22 years old, teams are treating him like he is 65. Duke’s Justise Winslow also met with Jackson and the Knicks, according to Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal (Twitter link).
Bojan Bogdanovic gave the Nets plenty to like in his first NBA season, according to Reed Wallach of netsdaily.com. Brooklyn signed the Croatian forward last summer after Paul Pierce left for Washington. Bogdanovic proved to be an effective shooter and won Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for April. He is under a three-year contract and is scheduled to make more than $3.4MM next season and nearly $3.6MM in 2016/17.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Celtics, Knicks

May 16th, 2015 at 10:56am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers could be in the mix to draft Arizona forward Stanley Johnson if their first round pick falls out of the top few selections, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “They’re a winning franchise,” Johnson said of the Sixers. “They told me the facts about how much they’ve won thus far [in franchise history] and the players that they’ve had and what they are trying to do. They are trying to make players get the work ethic part down and that’s what I’m about, so [the interview] was awesome.”

Here’s what else is happening around the Atlantic Division:

Arkansas forward Bobby Portis has six scheduled pre-draft workouts, including one with the Celtics, Jay King of MassLive tweets.
The Sixers sat down for interviews at the Chicago combine with Duke’s Justise WInslow, UCLA’s Kevon Looney, and injured Syracuse big man Chris McCullough, Pompey reports in a series of tweets.
Winslow attended a Yankees game last week with Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, and the freshman said that he would have no problem fitting in alongside ‘Melo if drafted by New York, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “Of course Carmelo loves playing for the Knicks — I know he loves playing for the Knicks,’’ Winslow said. “Our conversation wasn’t how I’d fit in with the Knicks. Our conversation was the adjustment from college to the league and how my workouts were going. He’s being a mentor for a similar guy, similar path, national champion freshman year. It’s great to have a guy like that who accomplished so much to look out for you.’’

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Raptors, Knicks

May 15th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Sixers fans may want to hope that the team doesn’t land the top pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News opines. Cooney’s reasoning is that if Philly nabs the No. 1 overall pick the team will either select another big man, or quite possibly trade the selection for more future assets, which could further delay the team’s rebuilding process. Conversely, if the Sixers fall to third or fourth the team will be more likely to select D’Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay, and thus land its point guard of the future, Cooney adds.

Here’s more from the NBA’s Atlantic Division:

The Raptors have six free agents whom they need to decide the futures of, and Holly MacKenzie of NBA.com examines the situation for each. These players include Amir Johnson, Landry Fields, and Lou Williams.
Knicks team president Phil Jackson met with Russell at the draft combine today, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports (Twitter links). Also meeting with the Knicks, though the Zen Master wasn’t present, was Kansas big man Cliff Alexander, Zagoria adds
The Knicks also met with Duke’s Justise Winslow and Jerian Grant of Notre Dame, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal relays in a series of tweets. Kentucky big man Willie Cauley-Stein said that he is scheduled to work out for the team in New York this Sunday, Herring adds.
Cauley-Stein also sat down with members of the Sixers’ front office, and he came away with the impression that the team was genuinely interested in him, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
Arkansas power forward Bobby Portis has a workout scheduled with the Celtics, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports (Twitter link).
The Sixers have scheduled workouts on Tuesday for Keifer Sykes and Terry Rozier, both of whom are guards, Pompey tweets.

Celtics Notes: Trades, Young, Draft Combine

May 15th, 2015 at 11:18am CST by Chuck Myron

A league source suggests to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that the impending leap in the salary cap for 2016/17 will make teams around the league more willing to take on sizable contracts in trades. Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren also sees a more liquid trade market and more activity ahead, as he tells Bulpett.

“I think so,” Zarren said. “I think there’s just a lot of teams in the middle in the NBA right now, and they all sort of feel like they need to do something. That will create more opportunities for us, because we’ve got as many assets as any other team, if not more.”

The Celtics have only one eight-figure salary on the books for next season, the nearly $10.106MM owed to Gerald Wallace, as Bulpett points out, and Boston is willing to attach a first-round pick to him to ship him out in a trade, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported last month. While we wait to see if the Celtics can top the 11 trades they made in 2014/15, here’s more from Boston:

One opposing GM is high on James Young, telling Bulpett for the same piece that last year’s No. 17 overall pick would be generating top-10 buzz this year if he had stayed in school another year. Young spent extensive time in the D-League this season.
Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe adds Bobby Portis, Anthony Brown, Kelly Oubre, Dez Wells, Chris McCullough, Terry Rozier and Tyus Jones to the list of players who’ve interviewed with the Celtics at the draft combine (Twitter links), to go along with those previously reported.
Boston is slated to speak with Devin Booker, Myles Turner, Kevon Looney, Pat Connaughton and Jordan Mickey today, a source tells Himmelsbach (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Draft, Sixers

May 14th, 2015 at 8:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

While teams with lottery picks such as the Magic, Kings, Nuggets, and Pistons may be willing to consider trading down in the draft, the Celtics don’t have the assets necessary to entice those franchises to make a deal, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) opines. The only player on Boston’s roster who could be used to move into the five to eight range of picks is Marcus Smart, but the point guard is considered virtually untouchable, Ford notes.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers interviewed UNLV big man Christian Wood today, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter links). Philadelphia also interviewed Texas center Myles Turner, Pompey adds.
The Celtics also sat down for an interview with Wood, as well as Arizona forward Stanley Johnson, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe relays (Twitter links).
Arizona defensive ace Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has an interview scheduled with the Celtics, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets. You can check out our full prospect profile for Hollis-Jefferson here.
Most of the Celtics heavy lifting at the draft combine will be done at the hotel where the team will conduct its interviews, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. This is because most of the players whom Boston has interest in will not be participating in the on court portion of the activities, Forsberg adds.
Point guards Delon Wright and Jerian Grant were among the players the Nets interviewed today at the combine, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily reports. Both Wright and Grant fit the Nets’ draft model under GM Billy King, who prefers veteran players from big programs, Windrem adds.

Draft Notes: Lyles, Anderson, Wood

May 14th, 2015 at 5:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2015 NBA Draft combine is underway in Chicago and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) offers up a primer for all of the scheduled events. The return of five-on-five play to the event has scouts and GMs excited, but that anticipation is tempered by the fact that only one player ranked in the top 30 — Terry Rozier, will be participating in the scrimmages, Ford notes.

Here’s more regarding the 2015 NBA Draft:

Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal caught up with ESPN’s Chad Ford to talk about the Kentucky Wildcats’ seven NBA Draft hopefuls. Ford spoke highly of Trey Lyles, but says that he needs to prove himself in workouts between now and the draft.
Former Virgina swingman Justin Anderson met with the Celtics today, and the player has a workout scheduled with the team on June 1st, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets.
The Wolves interviewed UNLV big man Christian Wood, and are also expected to sit down with Texas center Myles Turner, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets.
Arizona forward Stanley Johnson interviewed with the Hornets today, and Johnson touted himself as “the best two-way player in the draft,” Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer notes (Twitter link).
Former Syracuse forward Rakeem Christmas met with the Bucks, Magic, and Suns today, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter links). Christmas is also scheduled to workout for the Sixers, but he will not interview with the team at the combine, Pompey notes.
Projected second-rounder J.P. Tokoto interviewed with the Cavaliers, Clippers, and Pistons on Wednesday, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays (via Twitter). The guard met with the Hawks, Nets, and Mavs today, Gardner adds.

Atlantic Notes: Draft, Monty Williams, Saric

May 14th, 2015 at 2:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics have interviewed Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow and Willie Cauley Stein, each of whom has a strong chance to be picked within the top 10, tweets Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, taking it as a sign that the C’s, who have the No. 16 pick, plan to trade up. Of course, NBA teams line up teams and prospects for interviews at the combine, taking place this week in Chicago, so clubs don’t always get the players they want, but teams can give the league an idea of the sort of player they’d like to talk to, Murphy notes (on Twitter). There’s more on the Celtics and the draft amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics also interviewed Robert Upshaw, Murphy reports in a second tweet. Upshaw’s combine measurements stood out, but in part because of the issues surrounding the University of Washington’s decision to dismiss him for a violation of team rules in January, both Chad Ford of ESPN.com and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress rank him only 30th.
The Raptors will gauge Monty Williams‘ interest in joining their team as an assistant coach, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears (Twitter links). Still, it’s much more likely that Williams will wait for his next chance at a head coaching job, Stein adds, postulating that he could get a look from either the Nuggets or the Magic.
Sixers prospect Dario Saric insists that his father, a key figure in reports about Saric’s career, isn’t exerting undue influence, as Saric says to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. The 2014 No. 12 pick who’s playing overseas for Turkey’s Anadolu Efes largely avoided Sierra’s question about whether he might play with the Sixers next season, though his contract with Efes doesn’t include an escape clause until 2016. “Next season? I don’t know and I can’t speak about that because I don’t know yet the situation, how things are going to work out,” Saric said. “I can say that I’m happy here at Efes and I’m also happy that people from Philadelphia came here and want me there. That’s all I can tell you right now. I don’t have any information or any feeling regarding what could happen. I’m just focused on the rest of the season. If I stay here or if I go to the NBA, I will be happy [either way]. I don’t know what could happen this summer or next summer. Now it’s not the time to talk about that.”

Celtics Eyeing Aldridge, Matthews

May 13th, 2015 at 5:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Celtics GM Danny Ainge has made it clear that he will explore every avenue to improve his team this summer and it sounds like he has at least one very bold idea in mind. The Celtics will be “open to putting together some type of package deal” for Blazers free agents LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews, according to A. Sherrod Blakely on CSNNE’s Celtics Talk TV (h/t Jay King of MassLive.com).

Many believed that Aldridge would wind up staying put in Portland, but speculation grew over the course of the season that he might look elsewhere. In particular, a pair of Texas teams – the Spurs and Mavericks – have been heavily connected to the big man. One has to imagine that playing in Boston would hold appeal for most players, but the C’s would also have to convince Aldridge that they’d be ready to compete for a championship in the immediate future. As Blakely notes, Aldridge is looking for a team that can give him a great chance of going deep in the playoffs.

When asked to handicap the odds of Aldridge donning green and white next season, Blakely handicapped the odds at 35-40%. That figure may sound optimistic, but Aldridge and Matthews are friendly and the guard’s inclusion could help convince the former No. 2 overall pick to join the C’s.

Matthews, meanwhile, could be a solid fit for the Celtics, independent of Aldridge. If his Achilles checks out, the Celtics might feel that the 28-year-old could provide them with the shooting that they need.

Atlantic Notes: Anderson, Iverson, Knicks

May 12th, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Nets announced today that Alan Anderson underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs from his left ankle. The procedure was performed by Nets’ foot and ankle specialist Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Anderson is expected to resume basketball-related activities in July, according to the official announcement. The 32-year-old reportedly intends to opt out of his player option worth $1,333,484, and GM Billy King has relayed that the team would like to re-sign the swingman.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Colton Iverson, the No. 53 overall pick in the 2013 draft whose rights are owned by the Celtics, hopes to finally make the team’s roster next season, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. “I just hope to be as aggressive as possible this summer and kinda show [the Celtics] what my role can be for this team,” Iverson said. “Show them that I am ready for this opportunity.” In 56 games this past season for Laboral Kuxta split between Liga ACB and Euroleague play, Iverson averaged 7.3 points and 6.0 rebounds over 20.5 minutes per game.
Iverson also indicated that he felt that he could have helped the Celtics this past season with his rebounding and toughness, Forsberg adds. “I thought there may have been an opportunity for me, but at the same time, they are still building right now, and maybe that was not the right time,” said Iverson. “They are still rebuilding — they’ve communicated that with me — that they are trying to get their main components, their starting five solidified, then they’ll build their roster after that. It’s kind of a waiting game right now for me and them. I just hope that the rebuilding process is as strong as possible right now.”
Knicks president Phil Jackson has been vocal in his distaste for teams that rely on bombing away from beyond the three-point arc during the playoffs, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. New York had led the NBA in 3-point attempts during the 2012/13 campaign when it won 54 games, but fell the 21st this past season when the franchise only managed 17 wins.